Wednesday Fulham Stuff - 22/03/23...

[WhiteJC]

FA must look at themselves over Aleksandar Mitrovic incident after Bruno Fernandes at Liverpool

Aleksandar Mitrovic is set for a lengthy ban after his reckless actions but The FA should also be in the spotlight, argues Keifer MacDonald

After a thrilling weekend of FA Cup action, it was always going to take an exceptional incident to snatch the spotlight away from the drama that unfolded at Bramall Lane and Old Trafford.

When Tommy Doyle's last-gasp winner against Blackburn Rovers pencilled Sheffield United in with a tasty semi-final encounter against Manchester City under the illustrious Wembley arch next month, across the Pennines later that afternoon it was hoped football would once again be at the core of each post-match discussion between Fulham and Manchester United.

That looked set to be the case as the Londoners puffed their chests out and exhibited a fine sense of swagger and verve as they took to the Old Trafford turf as United's equals, before deservedly edging themselves ahead early in the second half thanks to Aleksandar Mitrovic's first FA Cup strike.

But the focus of those post-match conversations would soon shift quite significantly, and not for the better, in the following 15 or so minutes when Mitrovic, Willian and Marco Silva turned themselves from heroes to villains. Their successive moments of individual madness, starting with the Brazilian's handball off the line, ensured Fulham would not be making the short trip north of the River Thames next month for their first FA Cup semi-final appearance since 2002 as the Red Devils rallied back to win 3-1 against the nine men of Fulham.

Though Willian's blushes, and perhaps even those of his manager, would ultimately be sparred by the stupidity of Mitrovic, who in a moment of complete delirium pushed referee Chris Kavanagh before launching a rant in protest against his decision to award a clear penalty to Erik Ten Hag's side.

Most reading this will have likely seen the unwelcome scenes that unfolded during those 120 seconds of disorder on Sunday afternoon, making it little surprise that there is such a troubling shortage of referees readied for the next generation as abuse at grassroots levels continues to soar to new heights on a weekly basis up and down the country.

Now, with the eyes of the world watching, PGMOL and any remaining wannabe referees will surely be closely monitoring the actions of the Football Association as they determine how best to punish the Serbian forward. It begs the question as to how English football has come full circle almost 25 years on from Paulo Di Canio's shove on referee Paul Alcock?

It is expected that between now and the end of the season the Fulham No.9 will have plenty of time to explore the root cause of his actions as he prepares to be hit with a lengthy ban from the English game's governing body, which may all but end the White's hopes of qualifying for next season's Europa League despite playing a tremendous Premier League campaign so far.

But are the FA entirely blameless in this situation or could they have prevented the circus Kavanagh so expertly dealt with on Sunday afternoon?

It was only earlier this month, 16 days ago to be precise, that Bruno Fernandes managed to somehow steal the limelight despite Manchester United sinking to a humiliating 7-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield. Of course, this time the headlines for the United midfielder were no endorsement of his mesmerising ability that has so regularly lit up the Premier League since his move from Sporting CP in the early weeks of 2020.

In fact, this was Fernandes at his irritable worst as United shipped goals two, three, four, five, six and eventually seven throughout an unprecedented goal-scoring rampage during the second half at Anfield.

But despite sporting the captain's armband for Ten Hag's side in the absence of the out-of-favour Harry Maguire, the Portuguese midfielder instead resorted to throwing a petulant tantrum after a coming together with Reds full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.

With the game out of United's grasp, Fernandes' frustration was instead directed towards assistant referee Adam Nunn who was swatted aside by the midfielder with complete disregard.

In the heat of the moment, it was an incident the Anfield crowd reacted to with an ample amount of fury as the prospect of waving one of their most intolerable opponents off the turf and for an early shower would have pleasingly rubbed salt deep into the fresh wounds of their old foes on a historic afternoon on Merseyside.

But when referee Andrew Madley failed to award a card of any distinction for such an unsavoury incident, and with the FA later failing to take retrospective action against Fernandes, the opportunity to clamp down on the degrading treatment of referees in England was inexcusably overlooked by the bosses of the English game.

That inaction has not gone unnoticed. Martin Cassidy, chief executive of charity Ref Support UK, told The i: "The Mitrovic incident in the Manchester United vs Fulham FA Cup quarter-final is a chance for the FA to become a true game-changer and send out a strong message that this is unacceptable behaviour and that we must protect referees at all levels.

"This escalation we believe has come from the FA failing to respond robustly to the Bruno Fernandes incident in the Manchester United vs Liverpool game, and it's clear players have seen that and realised that they can basically get away with what they want. Not touching a match official at all levels should be viewed as sacrosanct and not something anyone in football can do."

While Mitrovic will no doubt have the book thrown in his direction in the coming days and weeks, the damaging images that circulated worldwide in the aftermath of his Old Trafford drama could well prove to be the final nail in the coffin for those debating whether a career in top-flight officiating is truly worth it.

But really, it didn't have to end this way. It was all too predictable.



https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aleksandar-mitrovic-bruno-fernandes-fa-26520935

[WhiteJC]

"The big reason" – Player reveals why he turned down Fulham and Nottingham Forest in January

Fulham and Nottingham Forest have both made approaches for Fluminense midfielder André, according to the player himself.

That was revealed by the 21-year-old in an interview he gave to 3 Na Área this week.

André was asked about the offers he had to leave Fluminense in January, and had no problem in talking about the way he refused moves to Fulham and Nottingham Forest.

"I already mentioned it in another interview. This team that Danilo went to, Fulham also approached. But I already had a sort of agreement with the president, largely because of Diniz too, it's worth mentioning, he wanted to keep the base for this year," André told 3 Na Área.

"I was living a moment where my wife was in the final stages of her pregnancy, in November, December, my son was due in January, and I chose to stay here too. It was the big reason why it didn't advance any conversation. We can't avoid a proposal, so it happened, but from the beginning we already knew that the base of last year, we would continue for this year, for us to aim for big things."

Regarding the dream of moving to the Premier League, André even mentioned a couple of midfielders he admires there.

"Oh yes, absolutely. I think it's everybody's dream. I'm still 21 years old, I think that today the best possible example is Bruno Guimarães, I think he left at 24, if I'm not mistaken. He's a player I'm a fan of. He went to Lyon, after Lyon took a step towards the Premier League. So he's a great example, a great player that I'm a big fan of, I think he carries that Newcastle team on his back."

Fulham's interest isn't new, because back in January, he was asked about that bid and confirmed that it existed. As for Nottingham Forest, and the player couldn't even remember the club's name, that's something that wasn't reported by the Brazilian media at the time.

In a recent interview, Fluminense manager Fernando Diniz highly praised André, claiming he should be worth between €20m and €30m. In fact, he doesn't sound wrong, because when Fulham's bid was first reported, it was claimed the Whites had offered €20m for his transfer.

Now it's a matter of waiting and seeing if the Whites and Reds will be back for him in the summer.



http://sportwitness.co.uk/big-reason-player-reveals-turned-fulham-nottingham-forest-january/

[WhiteJC]

Leeds United on Dan James collision course as Fulham loan approaches disappointing conclusion

Dan James has spent the season on loan at Fulham after being deemed surplus to requirements at Elland Road

Dan James and Leeds United are approaching something of a crossroads this summer as his future at the club begins to come into focus. It was made clear to the winger that he was considered surplus to requirements at Elland Road last summer as Leeds made the decision to loan him to Fulham in the hope of adding new faces to their squad.

However, he is due to return to West Yorkshire at the end of the season when his loan at Craven Cottage comes to an end and both the player and the club have decisions to make regarding the next step in his career. James was clearly a part of Jesse Marsch's United plans at the start of the Premier League season.

The Wales international missed the first match of the season through suspension, but he featured in the next four games for the Whites, starting twice, as the club got off to a fine start to the campaign. As the transfer deadline neared, though, he was the man that was deemed to be the most expendable within the ranks and he was sent out on loan to Fulham for the remainder of the season.

For James, the hope was that he would be able to nail down the minutes required to earn a spot in Rob Page's World Cup plans, while Leeds used the space within their squad to eventually bring in Wilfried Gnonto. To his credit, the 25-year-old did travel to Qatar and he featured in all three of Wales' group games at the tournament, but it's fair to say he would have hoped to have played more of a key role for Marco Silva at Fulham.

He has made 13 Premier League appearances for the Londoners, his last start, though, came in October and he has amassed just 28 top flight minutes since the turn of the year to sum up what has been a challenging, frustrating and disappointing period for the loanee. James will rightly be focused on trying to pick up as many minutes as possible for both Fulham and Wales over the next few weeks and months.

Both teams have plenty to play for, with Fulham pushing for a top half finish and Wales getting their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign underway. Nevertheless, he could be forgiven for allowing summer and the possibility of turning over a new leaf to crop up as thoughts in his mind.

Of course, there are still plenty of unknowns at Elland Road, including what division the club find themselves competing in and also who will be in the hot seat, given Javi Gracia joined the club on what was described as a 'flexible' deal. As it stands, though, James is due to report to Thorp Arch when pre-season gets underway and given how his switch to the capital came about on September 1, he may well find himself considering his options before that date comes.

Conversely, despite other attacking options emerging at Leeds over the last few months, the man in charge may still be keen to run the rule over James for themselves. Decisions will have to be made one way or the other, though, and it remains to be seen whether either party sees a future for James at Leeds.



https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/sport/leeds-united/leeds-united-dan-james-fulham-26525532

[WhiteJC]

Fulham fear the FA will be swayed by calls for Aleksandar Mitrovic to receive a lengthy ban after shoving referee Chris Kavanagh despite other players escaping punishment for similar behaviour

    Aleksandar Mitrovic is set to receive a long ban after shoving ref Chris Kavanagh
    The Fulham striker confronted Kavanagh in their FA Cup defeat at Old Trafford
    Fulham have until 5pm on Wednesday to file their written defence to the FA

Fulham are concerned Aleksandar Mitrovic will not receive a fair trial amid the outrage at his actions in Sunday's FA Cup meltdown against Manchester United.

There is concern inside the London club that after seeing their striker charged by the FA for shoving referee Chris Kavanagh at Old Trafford, the panel overseeing Mitrovic's case will be swayed by calls for a significant ban, including one from Paul Field, the president of the Referees' Association.

Sources at Fulham say they feel the reaction has been unfair, pointing out that other players have gone unpunished for similar behaviour, including Bruno Fernandes for pushing assistant Adam Nunn in United's 7-0 loss at Liverpool.

Mitrovic was red-carded by Kavanagh but the FA have said the standard three-game suspension is 'clearly insufficient'.

Fulham have until 5pm on Wednesday to file their written defence against the FA's allegations, though they can request an extension.



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11887423/Fulham-fear-FA-swayed-calls-Mitrovic-receive-lengthy-ban-shoving-ref.html

[WhiteJC]

Opinion: FA need to answer why Man United's Bruno Fernandes wasn't dealt with in the same way as Mitrovic

So Fulham's striker, Aleksandar Mitrovic, is expecting to get a lengthy ban for manhandling an official, but Man United captain, Bruno Fernandes, gets away scot free for the same offence?

Talk about double standards!

However, that's exactly what we've seen from the Football Association this week, and these decisions, which seem to always favour big clubs, need to be stopped.

Of course, Mitrovic was absolutely in the wrong during his side's FA Cup tie at Old Trafford, and he will have to take his medicine. The BBC report that the FA suggest a standard ban is 'clearly insufficient' in this instance.

There can be no excuse for the threatening manner in which he approached the match official, Chris Kavanagh, who was well within his rights to brandish a straight red card, even if that was like a red rag to a bull, Mitrovic eventually having to be pulled away by team-mates.

In what was Man United's worst result for decades, the Red Devils were recently humbled 7-0 at arch rivals, Liverpool.

During that game, United captain, Fernandes, consistently lost his head, culminating with a push on one of the officials, Adam Nunn, as the ball had gone out for a throw in.

On that occasion, not even a yellow card was produced by the man in the middle and, importantly, no retrospective action was taken.

How is that even possible?

Even if one takes the view that if it may not have been in the referees report, the FA are powerless to intervene, everyone watching the game saw what happened live on TV.

Ref Support UK even said at the time that he should be handed a five-game ban.

There needs to be some sort of consistency from the powers that be in order that the guidelines are kept to and followed, with no room for manoeuvre.

If decisions like the two examples above continue to go the way of the bigger teams in the division, it makes a mockery of the league's integrity and that of its officials.



https://www.caughtoffside.com/2023/03/21/1528917/

[filham]

Who had the heaviest touch, Mitro on the ref or the Man.U. player that pushed him in the back and to the ground in the penalty area.

No punishment for the Man.U. player but--------------------------------- ??

[wback]

I like Perreira, but I'd take 25-35m for him. His dead ball has been great, and we'd have to replace that (another area where the squad is a bit thin), but I'd like a bit more in open play and another yard of pace.

[JimOG]

FA must look at themselves over Aleksandar Mitrovic incident after Bruno Fernandes at Liverpool

Aleksandar Mitrovic is set for a lengthy ban after his reckless actions but The FA should also be in the spotlight, argues Keifer MacDonald

After a thrilling weekend of FA Cup action, it was always going to take an exceptional incident to snatch the spotlight away from the drama that unfolded at Bramall Lane and Old Trafford.

When Tommy Doyle's last-gasp winner against Blackburn Rovers pencilled Sheffield United in with a tasty semi-final encounter against Manchester City under the illustrious Wembley arch next month, across the Pennines later that afternoon it was hoped football would once again be at the core of each post-match discussion between Fulham and Manchester United.

That looked set to be the case as the Londoners puffed their chests out and exhibited a fine sense of swagger and verve as they took to the Old Trafford turf as United's equals, before deservedly edging themselves ahead early in the second half thanks to Aleksandar Mitrovic's first FA Cup strike.

But the focus of those post-match conversations would soon shift quite significantly, and not for the better, in the following 15 or so minutes when Mitrovic, Willian and Marco Silva turned themselves from heroes to villains. Their successive moments of individual madness, starting with the Brazilian's handball off the line, ensured Fulham would not be making the short trip north of the River Thames next month for their first FA Cup semi-final appearance since 2002 as the Red Devils rallied back to win 3-1 against the nine men of Fulham.

Though Willian's blushes, and perhaps even those of his manager, would ultimately be sparred by the stupidity of Mitrovic, who in a moment of complete delirium pushed referee Chris Kavanagh before launching a rant in protest against his decision to award a clear penalty to Erik Ten Hag's side.

Most reading this will have likely seen the unwelcome scenes that unfolded during those 120 seconds of disorder on Sunday afternoon, making it little surprise that there is such a troubling shortage of referees readied for the next generation as abuse at grassroots levels continues to soar to new heights on a weekly basis up and down the country.

Now, with the eyes of the world watching, PGMOL and any remaining wannabe referees will surely be closely monitoring the actions of the Football Association as they determine how best to punish the Serbian forward. It begs the question as to how English football has come full circle almost 25 years on from Paulo Di Canio's shove on referee Paul Alcock?

It is expected that between now and the end of the season the Fulham No.9 will have plenty of time to explore the root cause of his actions as he prepares to be hit with a lengthy ban from the English game's governing body, which may all but end the White's hopes of qualifying for next season's Europa League despite playing a tremendous Premier League campaign so far.

But are the FA entirely blameless in this situation or could they have prevented the circus Kavanagh so expertly dealt with on Sunday afternoon?

It was only earlier this month, 16 days ago to be precise, that Bruno Fernandes managed to somehow steal the limelight despite Manchester United sinking to a humiliating 7-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield. Of course, this time the headlines for the United midfielder were no endorsement of his mesmerising ability that has so regularly lit up the Premier League since his move from Sporting CP in the early weeks of 2020.

In fact, this was Fernandes at his irritable worst as United shipped goals two, three, four, five, six and eventually seven throughout an unprecedented goal-scoring rampage during the second half at Anfield.

But despite sporting the captain's armband for Ten Hag's side in the absence of the out-of-favour Harry Maguire, the Portuguese midfielder instead resorted to throwing a petulant tantrum after a coming together with Reds full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.

With the game out of United's grasp, Fernandes' frustration was instead directed towards assistant referee Adam Nunn who was swatted aside by the midfielder with complete disregard.

In the heat of the moment, it was an incident the Anfield crowd reacted to with an ample amount of fury as the prospect of waving one of their most intolerable opponents off the turf and for an early shower would have pleasingly rubbed salt deep into the fresh wounds of their old foes on a historic afternoon on Merseyside.

But when referee Andrew Madley failed to award a card of any distinction for such an unsavoury incident, and with the FA later failing to take retrospective action against Fernandes, the opportunity to clamp down on the degrading treatment of referees in England was inexcusably overlooked by the bosses of the English game.

That inaction has not gone unnoticed. Martin Cassidy, chief executive of charity Ref Support UK, told The i: "The Mitrovic incident in the Manchester United vs Fulham FA Cup quarter-final is a chance for the FA to become a true game-changer and send out a strong message that this is unacceptable behaviour and that we must protect referees at all levels.

"This escalation we believe has come from the FA failing to respond robustly to the Bruno Fernandes incident in the Manchester United vs Liverpool game, and it's clear players have seen that and realised that they can basically get away with what they want. Not touching a match official at all levels should be viewed as sacrosanct and not something anyone in football can do."

While Mitrovic will no doubt have the book thrown in his direction in the coming days and weeks, the damaging images that circulated worldwide in the aftermath of his Old Trafford drama could well prove to be the final nail in the coffin for those debating whether a career in top-flight officiating is truly worth it.

But really, it didn't have to end this way. It was all too predictable.



https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aleksandar-mitrovic-bruno-fernandes-fa-26520935

But the FA cannot surely set a new bench-mark for punishments for Mitro having failed to codify it beforehand. Take a look at De Gea's jabbing the ref and shouting in his face surrounded by his United team mates in 2020. De Gea gets a yellow card. You cannot suddenly invent a severe punishment. Judges are guided by past cases and punishments. The FA cannot just ban Mitro for eg 15 games to make themselves 'popular'. What is the choreography of this - does anyone know? Do the FA tell FFC what penalty they are proposing? Will Fulham be allowed lawyers to point out they cannot make up sentencing on the hoof? And can FFC if unhappy go to a Court of Arbitration a la Man City?

[Bill2]

FA must look at themselves over Aleksandar Mitrovic incident after Bruno Fernandes at Liverpool

Aleksandar Mitrovic is set for a lengthy ban after his reckless actions but The FA should also be in the spotlight, argues Keifer MacDonald

After a thrilling weekend of FA Cup action, it was always going to take an exceptional incident to snatch the spotlight away from the drama that unfolded at Bramall Lane and Old Trafford.

When Tommy Doyle's last-gasp winner against Blackburn Rovers pencilled Sheffield United in with a tasty semi-final encounter against Manchester City under the illustrious Wembley arch next month, across the Pennines later that afternoon it was hoped football would once again be at the core of each post-match discussion between Fulham and Manchester United.

That looked set to be the case as the Londoners puffed their chests out and exhibited a fine sense of swagger and verve as they took to the Old Trafford turf as United's equals, before deservedly edging themselves ahead early in the second half thanks to Aleksandar Mitrovic's first FA Cup strike.

But the focus of those post-match conversations would soon shift quite significantly, and not for the better, in the following 15 or so minutes when Mitrovic, Willian and Marco Silva turned themselves from heroes to villains. Their successive moments of individual madness, starting with the Brazilian's handball off the line, ensured Fulham would not be making the short trip north of the River Thames next month for their first FA Cup semi-final appearance since 2002 as the Red Devils rallied back to win 3-1 against the nine men of Fulham.

Though Willian's blushes, and perhaps even those of his manager, would ultimately be sparred by the stupidity of Mitrovic, who in a moment of complete delirium pushed referee Chris Kavanagh before launching a rant in protest against his decision to award a clear penalty to Erik Ten Hag's side.

Most reading this will have likely seen the unwelcome scenes that unfolded during those 120 seconds of disorder on Sunday afternoon, making it little surprise that there is such a troubling shortage of referees readied for the next generation as abuse at grassroots levels continues to soar to new heights on a weekly basis up and down the country.

Now, with the eyes of the world watching, PGMOL and any remaining wannabe referees will surely be closely monitoring the actions of the Football Association as they determine how best to punish the Serbian forward. It begs the question as to how English football has come full circle almost 25 years on from Paulo Di Canio's shove on referee Paul Alcock?

It is expected that between now and the end of the season the Fulham No.9 will have plenty of time to explore the root cause of his actions as he prepares to be hit with a lengthy ban from the English game's governing body, which may all but end the White's hopes of qualifying for next season's Europa League despite playing a tremendous Premier League campaign so far.

But are the FA entirely blameless in this situation or could they have prevented the circus Kavanagh so expertly dealt with on Sunday afternoon?

It was only earlier this month, 16 days ago to be precise, that Bruno Fernandes managed to somehow steal the limelight despite Manchester United sinking to a humiliating 7-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield. Of course, this time the headlines for the United midfielder were no endorsement of his mesmerising ability that has so regularly lit up the Premier League since his move from Sporting CP in the early weeks of 2020.

In fact, this was Fernandes at his irritable worst as United shipped goals two, three, four, five, six and eventually seven throughout an unprecedented goal-scoring rampage during the second half at Anfield.

But despite sporting the captain's armband for Ten Hag's side in the absence of the out-of-favour Harry Maguire, the Portuguese midfielder instead resorted to throwing a petulant tantrum after a coming together with Reds full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.

With the game out of United's grasp, Fernandes' frustration was instead directed towards assistant referee Adam Nunn who was swatted aside by the midfielder with complete disregard.

In the heat of the moment, it was an incident the Anfield crowd reacted to with an ample amount of fury as the prospect of waving one of their most intolerable opponents off the turf and for an early shower would have pleasingly rubbed salt deep into the fresh wounds of their old foes on a historic afternoon on Merseyside.

But when referee Andrew Madley failed to award a card of any distinction for such an unsavoury incident, and with the FA later failing to take retrospective action against Fernandes, the opportunity to clamp down on the degrading treatment of referees in England was inexcusably overlooked by the bosses of the English game.

That inaction has not gone unnoticed. Martin Cassidy, chief executive of charity Ref Support UK, told The i: "The Mitrovic incident in the Manchester United vs Fulham FA Cup quarter-final is a chance for the FA to become a true game-changer and send out a strong message that this is unacceptable behaviour and that we must protect referees at all levels.

"This escalation we believe has come from the FA failing to respond robustly to the Bruno Fernandes incident in the Manchester United vs Liverpool game, and it's clear players have seen that and realised that they can basically get away with what they want. Not touching a match official at all levels should be viewed as sacrosanct and not something anyone in football can do."

While Mitrovic will no doubt have the book thrown in his direction in the coming days and weeks, the damaging images that circulated worldwide in the aftermath of his Old Trafford drama could well prove to be the final nail in the coffin for those debating whether a career in top-flight officiating is truly worth it.

But really, it didn't have to end this way. It was all too predictable.



https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aleksandar-mitrovic-bruno-fernandes-fa-26520935

A very thoughtful article and some I have to agree with, however I believe there is another dimension to this whole debacle. I dont know who appoints referees to games but the appointment of Kavanagh was just downright wrong, not for his Manchester connection but his performance in the previous Fulham games he has officiated in. Lets start with the West Ham game where he gave them all 3 goals despite various offences by West Ham, the assault on Pereira yet he gave West Ham a penalty and two goals ably assisted by players hands. Then there was the earlier cup game where he booked Willian for diving where it was far from obvious, yet didn't even give us a free kick when the opposition did more blatant falls. He is quick with the whistle and cards for us yet notoriously slow for the opposition. This was even more obvious on Sunday from the 2nd minute where Shaw"s push on Mitro was completely ignored, then there was a hole host of inconsistent decisions, Robinsons yellow card fee a professional foul but not for Martinez when he dragged Mitro back and he only gave the free kick when the linesman flagged.
This no doubt contributed to both Marco's and Mitro's flare ups, how many times was he going to ignore our penalty appeals, not punish opposition tactics yet wave card at Fulham players for any misdemeanour. Rant over.